The Unforgiven
by Jack Cross
Summary: The girls meet a new guy in town, and quickly discover that he's a merman. As if that wasn't enough, he's Dr. Denman's son. Now they will have to help him avoid capture by his mother as she returns to Gold Coast looking for him. And this time, she's playing for keeps.
1. Intro

__**I do not own H2O, only a few people and ideas. **

**A/N: Well its been awhile since I've published one of these so i figured why not? This story has nothing to do with my older H2O stories, this is new. Please review and let me know what you think.  
**

_December 2007. Mako Island. _

Fifteen-year-old Jack haled himself out of the round pool of water into a cave. Looking up, he took notice that he was below the island's volcanic crater. This didn't worry him much, as he had climbed around in caves before. Having just moved to Australia from the United States, he couldn't really understand the taboo the locals had about this island. Of what he had seen of it so far it looked to be rather amazing. Even the cave he was in now would be perfect hideout if you wanted to get away from the stresses of life.

Clicking on the flashlight he had brought with him, Jack looked around the cave. Outside, he could hear the rumble of a thunderstorm. Silently, he cursed himself for not dragging his boat onto the beach instead of anchoring it just off shore. Deciding against struggling through a storm, he slowly walked to the cave wall, studying it with the light from the flashlight.

The wall was made of volcanic stone, but he could feel something else, almost like a heartbeat coming from behind the stone. Slowly, cautiously, he raised his hand to touch the wall.

"What are you doing here?" came a dream like voice from behind him. Jack spun around, startled at the sudden appearance of another voice. A single girl, not looking much older then himself sat in the pool. She was beautiful by all standards, her long blonde hair flowing down into the water over her shoulders and the orange straps of a top that was hidden by the water. But her expression was hard, like she was angry.

"I'm just looking around is all," said Jack as he slowly approached the girl in the pool.

"This place is not yours, you must leave right now," said the girl as the water began to boil like it was a Jacuzzi. Jack knelt down on the edge of the pool and stared deep into her blue eyes.

"Don't you think you should get out of the water, I mean you could be burnt," he said. Her expression changed from anger, to shock, then back to anger.

Jack was surprised, because judging by the amount of water that was boiling, she should have been dead by now. Being an outcast, he couldn't seem to come up with anymore words then what he had said. He stared deep into her eyes and refused to look away, like he was trying to figure her out.

Slowly, the girl raised her hand out of the water and brushed Jack's cheek slightly. This caused him to blush as well, as he had no idea what was about to happen. Then she placed her three middle fingers on his forehead while pinching the bridge of his nose with her thumb and pinkie. Jack's body was suddenly rigid, and he was paralyzed and unable to move.

"What are you doing?" he asked with a slight panic. But the girl didn't answer. Rather she began to sing in a strange language he had never heard. He felt energy begin to flow out of her and into him. Images flashed before his eyes, to quick for him to comprehend. Finally, she released him. Jack felt flat on his back into the sand floor, suddenly tired from what had just happened. Sitting up slightly, he could see that the girl was looking at him, anger still burning in her eyes.

"You have seen to much, and so this is your punishment" she said before submerging and disappearing into the cave the led to the sea. Jack tried to call after her, to stand up and give pursuit, but he lost his balance and fell into the boiling moon pool.

Through a cloud of bubbles, he looked around the pool for a moment. But the water around the lower half of his body began to churn and boil. He watched with a combination of horror and fascination as his clothes disappeared and his legs began to merge together. After ten seconds, he found himself face to face with a reddish fish tail.

Jack shot out of the water like a missile, shouting and cursing as panic began to consume him. He clawed at the rocks around the pool as he attempted to pull himself out of the water, but the added weight of the tail only hindered his progress. Finally, he forced himself to relax as he looked back at the tail.

Looking up through the crater, he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, wondering what he was going to do.


	2. A New Friend?

__**As always, please review and let me know what you think.  
**

_March 2010, Rikki's Café. _

Jack sat in the corner of the café, looking out over the various customers that flowed in and out through the bead-covered door. He had carefully watched the trio of girls that were near the stage. One of them he recognized almost immediately. It was the one they called Rikki, whom the café was named after. She was also the one who had cursed him at the moon pool three years ago.

Although now that he thought about it, cursed probably wasn't the best word for it. Then again, blessed wasn't the best either. His mother had thrown him out of her life when she had discovered what had happened to him, and had started to hunt him soon after he left home.

After almost three years of living on Mako as a hermit, he decided that it was time to approach the person who had done this to him. Even if he had no idea what would happen.

"Can I get you something?" asked the redheaded waitress, impatience in her voice.

"Coffee please," he said, not waiting to get a drink that would risk having him transform right in the middle of public. The redhead's eyebrows met in confusion at the rare order, but complied anyway. For a moment, he sat and watched as Rikki and her brunette friend talked to the blonde on stage. Then the waitress returned with his drink.

After drinking some of the coffee to acquire a taste, Jack finally caught Rikki's eye. She leaned over and began whispering to her friend while Jack continued to watch. He wanted her to know that he was watching. Pulling out a book, he began to flip though the pages and skim the lines, but still made it clear that he was watching. Finally, Rikki stood and approached him.

"Excuse me, stalker Sam? Can you please explain why you're staring at me and my friends?" she asked. Jack didn't look at her, but rather stared at the book and took a sip of his drink.

"Meet me out by the canal in five minutes, we need to talk," he said. Rikki looked back at her friends before returning her attention to Jack.

"And why should I do that?" she asked. He glanced up and looked into her blue eyes, ignoring the shiver that went down his spine.

"Because you don't want me to make a scene that could get us both sent away forever," he said coldly. This seemed like a decent argument, so Rikki turned away and returned to her friends while Jack stood and made his way outside. He stood near the water's edge along a dock in front of the café, looking out over the water towards the sea.

Turning, he found himself facing Rikki and her two friends as they approached along the dock. He hadn't expected her to bring her friends, but it wasn't completely out of the question either.

"What do you want?" she asked as they came to a halt, none of them looking very happy.

"What do you know about Mako Island?" he asked as he leaned against a post. All three of the girls let out a sigh, expecting this to be another scavenger or prospector looking to make a quick buck.

"Nothing, we barely go there at all," said Cleo as she attempted to throw Jack off. But he shook his head slightly.

"I've lived there for the past three years, I see you coming and going all the time, so what do you know about it?" he asked again. Rikki stepped forward slightly.

"If you live there, then theirs nothing you can't figure out on your own," she said before turning and walking back toward the café.

"Then answer this: what did you do to me three years ago in that cave?" he called after her. All three girls froze with fear. But Rikki kept herself calm before turning and facing him again.

"I have no idea what you talking about," she said calmly. Jack stepped forward, standing to his full height.

"Oh really, you just went and forgot all about me. Well I haven't forgotten about you, because thanks to you I can't touch water without the black helicopters swarming the area," he said. All three of the girls quickly got an idea of what he was talking about.

"What do you mean?" asked Cleo. Jack sighed and looked into the sky for a moment.

"I don't know how it works exactly. But every time I touch water, ten seconds later something weird happens," he said. The girls shot a glance at each other.

"Weird how?" asked Bella. Jack looked around, making sure that no one else was close enough to hear them.

"You have to promise not to tell anyone," he said.

"Not a soul," said Rikki, placing her hands on her hips. Jack took a deep breath and crossed his arms.

"I grow a tail, wind up like something out a Disney movie," he said, his cheeks colored slightly with embarrassment. Rikki sighed and through her arms in the air.

"I can't believe this. Its becoming an epidemic, I swear that everyone and their mother is a mermaid these days," she said, ranting slightly to herself. Cleo reached out and grabbed Rikki's shoulders, trying to calm her.

"Rikki, I think in his case the proper term would be merman," she said.

"Cause the other way is sexist and frankly just down right degrading," added Jack. Bella stepped forward slightly.

"Why did you come to us for help?" she asked. Jack sighed and thought for a moment, trying to decide how to proceed.

"My name is Jack Denman, my mother is Dr. Linda Denman, and after that incident a few years back I figured that you would be my best bet," he said. Rikki paced back and forth.

"And you expect us to trust you after what happened with your mom?" she asked.

"Listen, I'm out here on my own. My own mother is hunting me like I'm an animal or something. I don't care if you trust me or not, I just want some help," he said, almost pleading with the girls.

"Hey buddy! What do you think your doing?" came a shout from the café. Zane was storming down towards the dock, both of his fists clenched.

"Zane, its ok," said Cleo as he approached.

"Not when you three are this close to water," he whispered back as he rushed passed her and onto the dock, straight for Jack.

"Stop messing with these girls and get off my dock," he said before shoving Jack backwards toward the water. Rikki, Cleo, and Bella all saw the fear in his eyes as he fell. They had each seen that look before, it was the fear they got when they were about to be exposed. With an almighty splash, he disappeared into the murkiness of the canal, leaving only water to boil slightly where he went in.

"That should teach him," Zane said before turning and walking back to the café. Bella hurried forward and knelt down next to the water, trying to see into the murk. Jack finally resurfaced, but kept the water line at his neck. His eyes were wide with fear as he looked around.

"Cleo, we need to go to Lewis' fishing spot, right now," she said with seriousness in her voice. Cleo nodded and hurried away, followed closely by Rikki. Bella turned and looked back at Jack. After a moment, she jumped into the water and pulled him down with her. Through the murk, Jack saw Bella transform right before his eyes. Together, the two swam down the canal before they reached the sea.

"Nice tail," she said when they surfaced. Jack snorted and rolled his eyes slightly.

"Glad you think so. It's done nothing but cause me trouble a majority of the time," he replied.

"You've just never had someone to experience it with," she said. Turning slightly, Bella took his arm and began to lead the way to their secret spot on the mainland.


	3. The Fishing Spot

**As always, please review and let me know what you think. **

"So what exactly happened that night?" asked Cleo as Rikki had just finished using her powers to dry off Jack and Bella. Jack sighed and sat on one of the large rocks around the fishing spot.

"I was on a trip with my mom. She was out collecting coral samples along the reef and I had nothing to do for the time. I noticed on a map that Mako Island was with in reach of a boat, so I took a small craft out and dropped anchor just off shore. I went for a swim and found an underwater cave that led into this room under the volcanic crater. While looking around in the cave, Rikki snuck up on me. She sounded, like she was in a dream or something. Anyway, she shocked me with some kind of electricity, causing me to fall into the pool while it was boiling like a Jacuzzi," he explained.

Cleo looked at Rikki with a slight glare, who replied with a shrug. Bella looked out to sea for a moment before looking back at Jack.

"How did your mom find out?" she asked. Leaning over slightly, he scooped up some sand.

"Only showers we had on the ship were stand up stalls," he muttered as he poured the sand out of his palm like an hourglass. Cleo sighed as she looked at her feet. He couldn't tell exactly, but her face looked like she deeply missed someone.

"I sorry about what happened Jack. From the sound of your story, Rikki was moonstruck that night and had no control over what she was doing," she said. Jack sighed and looked at the sea. For a long time he remained silent.

"I never really close with her or anything. I mean one time I ran away and hid in the desert for three days before she found me. But I she saw the true way she acted that night. In a way I'm glad it happened, because if it hadn't, I would have been able to see the what she was really like," he said. Bella stood and placed her hand on his shoulder, offering what little comfort she could. She looked back at her two friends, sadness in her eyes.

"We've got to do something," she said. Jack's head shot up before he leapt to his feet.

"I can't ask you to do that. All I need is some information on how to deal with this tail and I can handle myself," he said quickly.

"It's too late, you know our secret and we know yours. Like it or not we're stuck with each other," said Bella. After a moment, Cleo nodded in agreement. But Rikki crossed her arms.

"He's the son of the woman who wanted to turn me into an experiment, I'm not going to trust him," she said bluntly. Cleo shot her a look.

"You think he's going to turn us over to his mom?" she asked.

"Never know," Rikki replied. Jack sighed simply as he squatted and ran his fingers through the sand. His eyes showed a mixture of exhaustion, loneliness, and sadness.

"I'm not asking any of you to do anything for me," he repeated as he looked up at the trio of girls.

"We're doing it anyway, Jack. Your one of us now," said Cleo with a slight grin. Standing to his full height, he looked at each one of them with a since of thanks, as he had been alone all this time.

"I guess I should thank you then," he said, unsure of himself. Bella gave him a smile of reassurance.

"Its ok, I've been at this almost my whole life and there are sill things I don't even know," she said. Jack snorted slightly, but grinned to show he was joking.

"So what's your power?" asked Cleo. Jack cocked his eyebrow at her in confusion.

"We have powers?" he asked. To prove her point, Cleo extended her arm and drew a ball of water out of the surf. His eyes went wide in amazement as he studied the ball.

"Ok, that's just to cool," he said as he moved his hand around the ball, careful not to make contact with it.

"You've been a merman for three years and you've never discovered a power?" asked Bella. Jack shrugged slightly.

"I guess if I had known I could have a power I would have practiced," he said. Cleo allowed the water to return before she stood up straight.

"Oh don't worry, there will be plenty of time for that," she said.


	4. Ghosts and Emma's Return

**As always please review and let me know what you think.  
**

**A/N: I hope you can forgive me but I slightly lied when I said that my other H2O stories would have nothing to do with this one. The character you will see appear now and then is Jonah Price. I guess you can say that he's my Randall Flagg, as he's managed to find his way in and out of my stories in one form or another. Anyway, forgive me and please enjoy! **

_June 2010. Rikki's Café. _

"To Emma," said Cleo as she raised her glass of juice. Bella, Rikki, Lewis, and Ash raised their glasses as well, toasting Emma who had just returned from her family's worldwide trip. Lewis had returned a month earlier as he was on summer break from his school in the U.S. They all stood around the empty café, enjoying a moment of peace.

The door beads rattled as Jack walked into the café, wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and boots. He wore the extra clothing out of paranoia, not wanting to transform just because he had been wearing sandals.

"What's so important that I had to hall ass from Mako?" he asked, slightly annoyed as he held a satellite phone in the air over his short brown hair. He had grown to trust the girls over the past few months, but he refused to move off Mako. All the guys except for Zane knew his secret as well, and he had a good friendship going with Lewis and Will. Ash on the other hand was still earning his trust.

"Emma's back," said Cleo brightly, motioning to the long straight blonde haired girl that sat next to her.

"Emma? Ash's Emma?" he asked as he approached the bar.

"The one and only," came the reply. Jack rested his forearms on the bar, taking the weight off of one of his legs as he leaned forward slightly.

"Emma Gilbert," said Emma as she stuck out her hand, being official. Jack shook it slightly before he poured his own mixture of a drink.

"Jack Denman," he replied. Emma looked over her shoulder at her friends before looking back at him.

"Denman? As in Linda Denman?" she asked. Jack stopped drinking, but kept the glass pressed to his lips as he shot a glance at Emma. He slowly lowered the glass to the bar before looking at Cleo.

"You didn't tell her?" he asked, glancing between Emma and Cleo. She responded with an innocent shrug. Jack sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Does she at least know my situation?" he asked.

"Oh she knows," said Rikki. Jack shot a slight glare at her.

"And you neglected to mention who my mother is," he said, giving himself a face palm. Rikki grinned, enjoying the fact that she was making his life difficult. Sighing, he turned and explained himself to Emma, ignoring her facial expression when he told her that Denman was his mother. After a moment of stunned silence, Emma fully accepted him.

Looking up at the stage, Jack suddenly froze with what he saw. A pale outline of a young man sat on one of the amps along the edge of the stage, silently playing a six-string guitar. His face was hidden as he was looking down at the guitar as he played.

"Who is that?" Jack asked, half pointing to the figure.

"The sun must be getting to you, Jack, there's no one there," said Lewis. Jack forced himself to sit as he watched the ghostly figure. For a moment he wasn't sure if he was loosing his mind or not. Then another figure formed out of the shadows around the stage. This one appeared to be female as it walked up onto the stage, watching the other figure.

Jack's eyes went wide as the figure turned to face him. It was Bella, without a doubt. He looked back at the real Bella for a second, before looking back at the figure up on stage. Quickly, he shook his head to get rid of the vision, but the two figures remained.

"I'm going nuts," he muttered. Everyone else shot glances at each other.

"What are you seeing now?" asked Bella.

"You. Your talking to some guitar player," he replied. Rikki made a circular motion with her finger near her temple, but stopped when Cleo swatted her. Up on stage, the ghostly figure of Bella turned and looked like she was singing to an invisible crowd. Slowly, both figures faded out of existence. Jack blinked and rubbed his eyes before looking back at the others, confusion evident on his face.

"What's happening to me?" he asked before he stood and rushed out of the café. Emma looked at the other girls and motioned for them to follow her into the manager office.

"Not trying to point fingers here, but maybe an electrical shock wasn't all Rikki gave Jack," she said after the door closed. Rikki cocked her eyebrow at her friend, but remained quiet.

"That's impossible," said Cleo.

"Not necessarily, lots of strange stuff tends to happen around a full moon," said Bella. Rikki sighed and threw her arms in the air.

"I have no idea what happened that night, all I remember is catching a glimpse of the moon and that's it," she said. Emma raised her hand, a motion for silence.

"It doesn't really matter now. Jack is out there somewhere half crazed and scared out of his wits, and we're standing here arguing over whom to point the blame at," she said. The other girls nodded reluctantly nodded in agreement with what she was saying.

"I'll go find him. Just try to get an idea of what's going on before dawn breaks," said Bella as she turned and walked out of the office. She ignored the guys as she hurried out into the night air and dove off the dock. She raced through the water, leaving a trial of bubbles in her wake.

Finally, she surfaced near Mako. A pale, crescent moon hung in the sky over the island, illuminating everything in its glow. Slowly, she began to swim around the island, studying the coastline for any sign of life. Then at last she spotted him.

Jack sat on a large bolder, ignoring the small waves the buffeted against his bare chest. His lower half remained submerged beneath the water and hidden in the darkness. She slowly approached him, making sure to feel in front of her so as to not run into his tail.

"I'm going insane Bella," he said, sadness in his voice. Bella pulled herself up onto the rock next to him.

"No your not, your just stressed out is all," she said. He looked at her.

"I'm seeing ghosts of people who are standing right next to me, how is that a product of being stressed?" he asked. She placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Its all part of having a tail Jack, you just got to get use to the unpredictable," she reassured. He turned partly and rapped her in a hug, savoring the feeling of having someone to hug. After a moment, they pulled apart and looked up at the moon.

Looking up at him, Bella could have swore she saw him smile in the pale light.


End file.
